00:00 I'm Finn again, that's Fryburger.
00:08 We're at the Phoenix airport starting our next big adventure.
00:10 We could die.
00:11 We are suckers for a clean car and we're going to fix up this '66 Buick and drive it home
00:23 before Mother's Day.
00:29 One of my best known accomplices is Rick Payway, who's the editor-in-chief of 4Wheel
00:33 and Off-Road.
00:34 We'll fly into town, find a Jeep like this one, fix it in the guy's driveway who owns
00:39 the thing, and drive it all the way home on dirt.
00:41 We're kind of doing the same thing this time, but there's a twist to the story.
00:45 It's not a Jeep.
00:46 This time it's a '66 Buick convertible.
00:48 But not just any '66 Buick convertible.
00:51 This Buick has been sitting in Payway's backyard since 1978.
00:55 His mom bought it when it was a couple years old.
00:58 Her and the rest of the family drove the thing until the forward gears in the trans went
01:01 out and so they literally just shoved it in the backyard with the top down and left it
01:06 sitting there.
01:07 It's been there ever since, untouched.
01:09 And so we thought that naturally made it a good idea to fly here to Phoenix, fix it up
01:14 in a couple days, and get home before Sunday, which is Mother's Day, because our wives will
01:20 kill us if we're not there.
01:29 All the upholstery is 100% gone just from sitting in Arizona.
01:33 Like nobody removed that.
01:34 It just vaporized.
01:35 This thing is actually a Buick Special and not a Skylark.
01:40 And oddly enough, this is one of 2,036 1966 Buick Special convertibles with a V8.
01:48 Here is the file.
01:52 In 1976 she got plugs, condenser, points, rotor, cap, radiator hose, radiator hose,
01:59 coolant, timing chain R&R, timing gears, oil pan gasket, which means they had the bottom
02:05 end off the thing, and a timing chain gasket, all installed for $168.85.
02:10 I'm getting ripped off on my wife's condo.
02:16 So before we got here, Rick actually undug the car and got a few things done.
02:21 Here's the water pump that was on it.
02:23 It's a little frozen.
02:25 I have to admit, if anything is going to stop us here, it's the cooling system.
02:28 Nah, it's fine.
02:29 It's mint.
02:30 Oh, this is good.
02:38 The engine in this thing, 300 cubic inch V8.
02:41 3-pin it says.
02:42 That's the torque rating.
02:44 That's what Buick did.
02:45 This is almost too nice to really be an adventure.
02:48 So I think we need to make a plan.
02:50 We need to just decide what we need to get at the auto parts store and go get it.
02:53 Right.
02:54 Blue tarps, bungee cords, Windex.
02:55 Windex?
02:56 What are you, a girl?
02:57 It's got a window.
02:58 Windex?
02:59 It's got a window.
03:00 I'll be highly surprised if these seat backs even make it home since that side's already
03:07 broke off.
03:08 Support it with two by fours.
03:09 Yeah, two by fours.
03:10 See, that side's not really bad.
03:11 So, uh.
03:12 There we go.
03:13 Yeah.
03:14 Don't bother upholstering.
03:18 We can fix that.
03:20 Oh, bailing wire.
03:22 Mechanics wire.
03:25 Genuine airport tug with a Ford 292Y block.
03:28 We could probably get that home.
03:30 Meanwhile, our video guy's a fruitcake and he rented this.
03:33 It's got air conditioning.
03:39 Bungee cords because you just never know.
03:41 I've got a bunch too.
03:42 Don't you pay anymore.
03:43 How much is this free car costing us so far?
03:45 Well, I spent $350 on a trans kit and then another $200 for a transmission drum and then
03:52 $567 here.
03:54 So pretty much we're over a grand right now.
03:56 It'll be two grand by the time we pull it out of the driveway for sure.
03:59 Hey, guy.
04:00 It's a little sweaty in here.
04:03 How about we turn on the air conditioning?
04:07 Yeah.
04:08 Wow.
04:09 Nice floorboards in the back.
04:12 Some Legos.
04:17 I think the market research really failed when they named these shock absorbers.
04:21 They're the Delco Pleasureizer.
04:27 The bummer is that Rick actually had this running before we got here so that we know
04:31 it runs, but this will be the first time we've seen it.
04:34 Fire it up.
04:35 Mint.
04:36 It's fresh.
04:37 Mint.
04:39 It's flawless.
04:40 It's not smoking.
04:41 It doesn't smoke, but I say you're a smoking car.
04:46 Okay, it's steadily pouring gas.
04:49 Fuel pump's leaking.
04:50 It's like swedged together, two metal pieces and the seam is just sort of weeping onto
04:55 the ground.
04:57 That's why we have an electric fuel pump.
05:06 For mint, the brakes are literally like new.
05:10 All right, what's happening?
05:11 We're draining the motor oil out of the diff.
05:13 Really?
05:14 Yeah.
05:15 Well, it's probably a high performance limited split.
05:19 Yeah.
05:20 It's strange, isn't it?
05:23 Dude, that doesn't taste right.
05:28 It's about 10 o'clock at night, the end of the very first day, and we decided to pack
05:34 it in because we're kind of tired.
05:36 We've done a lot done on the car.
05:38 There's a lot of mysteries left ahead.
05:40 We'll find those tomorrow.
05:45 It's Thursday afternoon.
05:46 Actually, it's 1030 in the morning.
05:49 We just woke up, just got to McDonald's in time for a breakfast before they shut that
05:53 down.
05:54 We have a lot to do on the Buick today, but watch this because what we're about to do
05:58 is going to be some fun.
06:24 You like it?
06:43 That sucker is joyous.
06:44 It's custom right there.
06:45 It's almost too nice for the car.
06:55 Taking apart the brakes and I'm pulling the inner wheel bearing like that by using the
07:02 nut.
07:04 My side's looking pretty good.
07:05 Finnegan apparently ungood.
07:08 I wiped all the rust out of it.
07:09 I took the dust cap off and found that.
07:12 That is not good.
07:16 Needs cleaning and packing.
07:18 We can do that.
07:19 When was the last time you could peel back grease?
07:21 Look at this.
07:23 Genuine made in USA bearing.
07:25 You don't see that anymore.
07:26 Made in USA, not USA China.
07:30 Now that I have the wheel bearing flawlessly clean and grit free and have inspected all
07:34 the rollers, we're going to do the old school grease job, which involves getting dirty with
07:39 this wrong looking grease.
07:40 It's like the Vaseline of wheel bearing greases.
07:44 I disapprove of this wheel bearing grease, but it's what we have, so it's what we're
07:47 using.
07:48 What I am doing is scraping this across my palm and as you can see, pushing the grease
07:53 into the bottom half of the bearing all the way until it squeezes out the top.
08:00 This takes a while and rubs your palm raw.
08:06 Glaring endorsement here.
08:08 This is the best rust penetrant on earth, bar none.
08:16 If you need extra leverage on your box end versus your open end wrench, look, there it
08:20 is.
08:21 Works like magic.
08:23 Got it.
08:26 Ah, rust all the way down my ear.
08:29 I can hear it.
08:30 It's like water in the ear except crunchier.
08:33 This pay way had a lead foot.
08:42 Look at that.
08:43 Oh yeah.
08:44 Oh.
08:45 Fail.
08:46 I vacuumed most of the floor out of it.
08:56 That's one hell of a shop vac.
08:58 Sucked the whole floor out of the car.
09:01 You couldn't find a rear diff gasket, but Velpro sells this stuff.
09:06 So you can make your own.
09:08 I was smart enough to actually order new brake parts from Robestus before I left.
09:13 So these were here waiting for us.
09:17 It's perfect.
09:18 Good.
09:19 You're going to have to adjust the rod of course, but I would say it's going to be bolt
09:23 in.
09:24 All right.
09:25 Not a problem.
09:26 Nice.
09:26 That is a wrap on assembling the brakes.
09:35 The thing is we don't yet know if the wheel cylinders leak yet or not.
09:37 So I'm not going to finish this all up until we get the master cylinder on the thing, try
09:41 and bleed it and see if we pop all the seals out of it or not.
09:47 Oh, out of here.
09:51 Slinky.
09:53 We opened up the glove box and found treasures.
09:56 Look, this is the folding top thing, but inside I found the paperwork from the original, original
10:02 owner before Rick's mom.
10:04 What are you looking for, for the floor?
10:10 Stop sign.
10:13 Yes.
10:15 Yeah, that's only going to cover this side really.
10:20 Whoa.
10:21 That's for this side.
10:22 Like a glove.
10:24 You just replaced the master cylinder in Caddy's and Apollo and you're clean.
10:32 Business casual.
10:33 Business casual.
10:34 We have ignition.
10:35 And we have fuel pump.
10:36 Funny.
10:37 The choke idle up is actually working.
10:38 Is it running off the bowl or is it there?
10:39 It's off the bowl.
10:40 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:41 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:42 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:43 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:44 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:45 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:46 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:47 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:48 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:49 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:50 Oh, it's off the bowl.
10:51 Oh, it's coming.
10:52 Wow.
10:53 There it is.
10:54 Woo.
10:55 Look, it turned clean.
10:56 All the varnish is gone.
10:57 No way.
10:58 Look at the dirt.
10:59 Look.
11:00 Oh, it's going to dirt up real quick.
11:01 Yeah.
11:02 Yeah.
11:03 Look at that.
11:04 Oh, stop.
11:05 Oh.
11:06 Give me a hammer.
11:07 Oh, stop.
11:08 Oh.
11:09 Give me a hammer.
11:10 Oh, stop.
11:11 Oh.
11:12 Give me a hammer.
11:13 Oh, stop.
11:14 Oh.
11:15 Give me a hammer.
11:16 Oh, stop.
11:17 Oh.
11:18 Give me a hammer.
11:19 Oh, stop.
11:20 (engine revving)
11:22 - Sounds funky.
11:23 - Boy, that was close.
11:24 - Whoo!
11:24 - That was close.
11:25 - Whoo!
11:26 - Good thing we know what we're doing there.
11:28 The needle and seat stuck and it started to overflow
11:30 the float bowl at which point most people would panic
11:32 and have a fire but we knew what to do
11:34 which was to hit it with the jack handle.
11:36 Did you notice the well-orchestrated coordination?
11:39 'Cause Rick and I have been here before.
11:41 (laughing)
11:41 See, I went straight to keeping it running
11:43 while the gas was guzzling down the carburetor
11:45 and he went straight for the implement of bashing.
11:48 Like a well-oiled machine.
11:50 What we did is basically get the brakes working,
11:53 they self-bled, we didn't even have to open
11:55 a single bleeder screw and we vacuumed the floor
11:59 out of the car and we got fluid in our new transmission,
12:02 we got it running, we got fluid in the rear end,
12:05 it's virtually restored.
12:06 We'll see if we can drive it tomorrow.
12:08 (upbeat music)
12:10 Starting our Friday on the tool hunt.
12:13 (upbeat music)
12:16 (upbeat music)
12:19 Our floor has a little more ventilation than I normally like
12:24 you know, even in a convertible.
12:26 So, $20 grinder from Harbor Create with a cutoff wheel,
12:31 put all the rust out and then we're gonna bend up
12:35 a not stolen stop sign to fit the floor,
12:39 we'll tech screw it in, dialed.
12:42 (upbeat music)
12:44 (upbeat music)
12:47 It's bent nice, I think it'll work, let's go find out.
12:55 (drill whirring)
12:58 (hammering)
13:02 (drill whirring)
13:06 (hammering)
13:10 (hammering)
13:14 (hammering)
13:17 Last thing in there on the floor,
13:19 just taking a picture for the magazine.
13:21 Now we just have to throw our seat in it,
13:23 make sure that the electrical system works,
13:25 we don't have any brake lights or headlights right now
13:27 and then I think we're ready for a road test.
13:28 (upbeat music)
13:31 (engine revving)
13:43 Video guy Clint had a brilliant idea
13:45 to repurpose this piece of railroad sign
13:48 as a rust brace under here.
13:52 Ah yes, bolts right up.
13:54 Oh yeah.
13:58 - Look at the action on that baby.
13:59 - Gotta put on the hubcaps, looks ghetto without 'em.
14:03 - Ignition, clear.
14:04 - Got it.
14:07 Here we go.
14:09 - There's time on the brake.
14:10 - It moves.
14:11 - It moves.
14:13 - Yes!
14:13 - Yes!
14:14 (laughing)
14:17 - I feel safe in this, this is good.
14:19 - Oh there's no pedal.
14:21 - Sweet!
14:23 - Oh man, this is good.
14:25 - Ooh, it handles good too.
14:27 - It is so deluxe.
14:29 - Is there air in that tire?
14:30 - Hang on, everybody ready?
14:31 - Yep.
14:32 (laughing)
14:34 - This is better than 90% of my cars.
14:36 - Moves out.
14:40 (engine revving)
14:43 - Yes, utterly flawless.
14:47 - Flawless.
14:48 - Wow, this is a thing of beauty.
14:51 - I told you, would I sell you a bad car?
14:53 - Wow.
14:54 - Oh that was awesome.
14:57 - To drive this car again after 34 years, yep.
15:00 - This is just a feel good car.
15:02 I mean chicks dig you when you have this.
15:04 (engine revving)
15:09 - Light sputter.
15:10 - Wow.
15:20 - We just made the glorious maiden voyage.
15:24 It's time for some celebration.
15:26 (upbeat music)
15:28 - That looks like the bottom of a fish tank.
15:32 (engine revving)
15:36 (upbeat music)
15:39 - Yeah.
15:40 - Woo hoo hoo.
15:41 (upbeat music)
15:45 - This is the stuff.
15:46 - Yes.
15:47 (upbeat music)
15:50 (car engine revving)
15:53 - Yeah.
15:54 (upbeat music)
15:56 (upbeat music)
15:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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